Thank Goodness you didn't listen to that vet! How ridiculous is that,
to not want to "waste time" on a kitten, that doesn't happen to be
showing symptoms, but will most likely be sick sometime down the road?!
What exactly did he go to vet school for? I hate to think about vets
like that out there, giving antiquated advice to people that might not
be as caring as you, who might not follow their heart and start looking
for answers. He needs to be educated, but for now, you need to find
yourself a different vet. Start looking for a board certified Internist
that will be versed in anything that you may run up against. Developing
a relationship, or at least knowing where you can go, before you need a
specialist, will save time and give you some peace of mind.
Why was your baby's, (what's her name?), brother tested? Is he sick?
Try to make sure whoever adopted the brother and the other kits from the
litter know that there are ways to help keep them healthy and that felv
is not necessarily the death sentence some still believe it to be. Tell
them to join our list!
As to your fears for your other cats... They are both adults, and if
I'm understanding you correctly, they've both been vaccinated for felv
at least once in their lives. They probably are just fine, (quick, say
a prayer!). My negs and pos were all mixed in our household for months
before we discovered that there was felv in the house. Everyone
remained together and the negs never turned up pos. Most people don't
realize just how prevalent felv is. It's all around us, all the time.
Most healthy adult cats either get it and clear it, or don't get it at
all. It's kittens, geriatrics, or sickly cats that have a problem with
felv because of their weakened or immature immune systems. They're the
ones that end up at the vet's and when they don't get better, they are
tested for felv. That's probably why some vet's are so pessimistic
about it, by the time they discover it, the poor kitty is in dire
shape. If I were you, I'd get your other two cats tested, just so you
know what you're dealing with.
Felv is like aids in that it weakens the immune system and allows other
secondary, or "opportunistic" illnesses to take hold. These other
diseases, that an otherwise healthy cat would not be as susceptible to,
can wreak havoc, (they are also more prone to the same things that all
of us live in danger of, like cancers). That's why taking an aggressive
approach to health care, (don't wait to see if they get better on their
own when they are sick), doing your best to eliminate stress, and
boosting their immune system with sups and quality food, is so important.
Welcome to our group, (what's your name btw?),
Nina
kandbz_ mom wrote:
Hello! I recently adopted a kitten...she is now 15 weeks old. The lady
I got her from emailed me and said my kittens brother tested positive.
We went to the vet for a checkup on Monday and she tested positive
for Felv. The vet came out right away and said I may want to think
about having her euthanized. I asked if we could wait and then do the
other test, the one done at the lab. He said we can, but since she
came up positive so young, she probably does have Felv. I am just
heartbroken. SHe has no symptoms and is just the sweetest cat ever.
I have to get my other two cats tested for it. My cats are 7 and 3
yrs old. They have never been tested for Felv because they don't
automatically test here. When you take a cat or kitten in for a
"checkup" they just routinely give out the vaccine and don't test
unless you ask for it. You would think that as fast as this disease
spreads, they would be testing EVERY kitten/cat. I'm worried that my
other two cats are going to have it now, too. Does anyone know, would
I have to have all three of them euthanized if that were the case??
I'm still learning about this disease from reading things on the
internet. Would it be possible to keep her??
Any advice would be helpful and appreciated.
Thanks.
